NHS people management under scrutiny in £250,000 project

The
crucial role played by people management in the delivery of improvements and
positive outcomes for NHS patients is to be investigated in a new £250,000
research project.

The
project, Improving Health Through
HRM, is a jointly commissioned initiative by the Department of Health, the
Association of Healthcare Human Resources Management (AHHRM) and the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The
project aims to further understand how HR practices influence the quality of
healthcare. It will review existing findings and undertake newstudies in
the NHS.

Peter
King, AHHRM spokesperson, said: "Both HR practitioners and line managers
are looking for practical tools that will help them achieve better outcomes for
staff and patients.This research will
help us focus on best practice, and ensure that healthcare professionals are
being managed in ways that have been shown to maximise benefits to patients and
staff."

MikeEmmott, employee relations
adviser at the CIPD, said:"A
substantial body of CIPD research has demonstrated the powerful links between
progressive people management practices and business performance.In the NHS, this translates into outcomes
that can make the difference between life and death.

"Through
this project, we are taking the lead in translating our research findings into
messages that managers in the NHS can use in their day-to-day work.Nowhere is this task more urgent than in
healthcare, where the Government is committed to bringing about a significant
improvement in standards of patient care."

The
research will be undertaken by a team based at the University
of Manchester,
led by Dr Pauline Hyde, and including professors Mick Marchington and Paul Sparrow.

A
steering group is being set up which will include HR practitioners.A significant part of the work will be
communicating findings to the wider NHS community, and involving HR
practitioners in the research at all stages.